Apple has succeeded in having the Samsung Galaxy Nexus banned from sale in the US. This comes just days after the same judge slapped the same pre-trial injunction on Samsung's Galaxy Tab, yanking it from the shelves.
Not only is this two in a week for Samsung, the patents relate to Android, so it could also have massive repercussions for Google's operating system.
Pre-trial injunctions are quite rare, so it's big news that Apple managed to score two in a week against Samsung. Just like in the case of the Galaxy Tab ban, Samsung can appeal, so the ban could well be just temporary. But still, it's a massive blow for the Korean company.
Apple will have to post a bond of around $96m, which I'm sure it'll be more than happy to do. Considering it could soon be the world's first trillion-dollar company, that'll be small beer to the iPhone maker.
The patent relates to searching multiple areas for information through a single search interface, as well as using predetermined heuristic algorithms corresponding to each search area. Winning an injunction against core Android voice and search functions could be bad news for Google, especially given the new Google Now service it rolled out this week as part of Jelly Bean. Could this cause Google to fundamentally redesign Android?
"Apple has made a clear showing that, in the absence of a preliminary injunction, it is likely to lose substantial market share in the smart phone market and to lose substantial downstream sales of future smart phone purchases and tag-along products," District Judge Lucy Koh said in the ruling.
This contrasts with Apple's case against Motorola, which a judge threw out on the basis that neither side could prove lost earnings.
Is Apple right to pursue these cases in court? Or should it stick to improving its own products? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook page.
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Comments 16
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anonymous 30 June, 2012 13:43
I just cannot understand how one judge wields the power to ban the sale of a product thereby denying consumers a choice. Bond lodged or not, the ban will only benefit Apple in their desire to capture the most market share and eliminate their competitors.
anonymous 30 June, 2012 21:53
Now its banned it's a sweeter tasting fruit, a forbbiden one ;)
Its called ebay... Baby
anonymous 1 July, 2012 01:26
innovation stifled for greed once more.
anonymous 1 July, 2012 02:42
Apple are showing that they are failing to compete with the competition other than silly patent wars. Do people really want a company leading the market who would rather pay millions of dollars to stifle their competition instead of investing it in making better devices? It is an attempt to strangle not only the development of technology but also the economy by giving people less choice. Instead of competing, they kick their competition in the shins during the race. Sure every company wants to dominate the other in their fight for top dog but not in this manner please; instead they should push for better devices and more features to please their customers.
It is also shocking to think one judge can ban the sale of a major mobile phone entirely in the U.S so easily... It seems these judges are getting fed up with Apple and are either granting them their case, or throwing it out completely - rushed decisions. The laws surrounding patents need to be revised as it seems these cases have no end, all the suing and counter-suing has become ridiculous.
anonymous 1 July, 2012 06:42
Personally having the knowledge of owning an iphone and when browsing on the Internet on it. It does not play Flash websites. with the exception of Youtube here in the UK. I think the iphone is overrated.
At work we put a Samsung Galaxy up against an iPhone 4s on opening webpages using the companies WIFI the Samsung blew the iPhone 4s out the water with much faster results every time.
Many of these old fashioned laws stifle new business and idea's Perhaps iPhone got the block on the Samsung as it is a USA company where as the Samsung is Korean. I think it's more to do with Politics than we may think.
anonymous 1 July, 2012 07:15
This judge is a goddamn idiot. A large proportion of the iPhone's user base couldn't care less about any similarities between iOS and Android's unified search interfaces. Ask anyone who converted from iOS to android why they did so and they will have a long list of reasons without anything relating to this patent emerging. I've lost all respect I had for Apple, will never buy another product of theirs again.
anonymous 1 July, 2012 09:06
Apple is the evil empire. Some woman needs to come running in an throw a hammer at the screen with Steve Jobs face on it.
Ruffus Stone 1 July, 2012 09:27
Isn't it only natural that a company would want to protect its business from copying and counterfeiting its products and ideas?
I'm sure that if it had been the other way round and Apple had come to the market late with a copy of someone else's product, then that other company would be pursuing the same legal path against Apple.
Competition is healthy and good, but there are lines that have to be drawn between that and what could effectively be termed as theft. Anyone who transgresses those lines will inevitably become food for the lawyers.
anonymous 1 July, 2012 10:19
While I'm all up for protecting new innovations, the problem here is that patents have gone ott. You shouldn't be able to patent just about anything like adding voice control to a phone, or shake to wake. These things are not innovations just clever progressions.
I think the whole patent thing needs an overhaul and all the big companies need to stop their wars and instead spend their money on coming up with the next big thing eg. phones that last a weekend away without needing recharged, areals that give better signals inside metal buildings without being harmful to humans. And my favorite cases that protect the phones from breaking when dropped instead of having to add bulky add-ons.
Arby Bryce 1 July, 2012 11:43
Its time Apple stopped suing other companies and started making better phones and better choices of phones...All we ever hear these days,is yet Apple again suing someone because of a Patent or copyright...Move On Apple!!....Bring the consumer better phone choices,instead of just the 1 next iPhone...
anonymous 1 July, 2012 20:02
I hope Google bans all iPhones from sale for ripping off the pull down Notification Bar.
I had one friend with his new iPhone try and claim it was Apple's idea and Android copied it! I was gob smacked to say the least :(
tuxtester 1 July, 2012 21:08
Apple are showing their true colours and seem to be blissfully unaware of what their behavior is doing to their once-shiny image (not so shiny these days).
Android is a decent product. The various hardware it's installed on are also very nice and getting better with every iteration. These hardware are already at least as shiny and easy to use as the latest iteration of the iPhone.
It's not an accident that Android is the most popular mobile device operating system.
Fact is, for software to remain popular and increase in popularity it has to continue improving. This is what Google have done with Android.
Apple delude themselves, as if none of us would have touch screens, icons or mobile phones if it wasn't for them.
anonymous 2 July, 2012 12:41
I like apple I really do I have the new ipad but @ the same time I've had the galaxy s 1, 2 & 3 and would never buy an Iphone simply because Samsung raise the bar every time. Tbh if you take apart an Iphone it has a Samsung hdd, Samsung processor, and God knows what else Samsung make but the Iphone is really just a Iphone anyway.
If apple r so great why can't they come up with original stuff?
Ruffus Stone 3 July, 2012 11:48
@tuxtester 1 July, 2012 21:08
"It's not an accident that Android is the most popular mobile device operating system."
Android has become the most popular mobile OS not because of innovations in the latest version of the OS, but because its on the dozens and dozens of cheap and mid-priced mobile phones that are included in the cheaper and mid-priced phone plans and that can be bought for reasonable cost on PAYG.
The cutting edge high end phones such as the Galaxy S2 & S3 account for a relatively small portion of the Android market.
ICS has only 7% market adoption after 9 months, with 2.2 and 2.3 holding a 90% share of all Android devices, with the vast majority of those devices never likely to see an upgrade.
A very large number of users took up their first Android phone because they couldn't afford an iPhone or iPhone mobile contract. This is still the case today.
Had Apple released a budget version of the iPhone around the time of the iPhone 4 release 2 years ago, just as critical mass was building in the smartphone sector, then we may have seen a totally different market share landscape today. The fact that they didn't is Apple's loss and Google's gain.
RS
anonymous 3 July, 2012 19:25
I end my contract in one month and I am dropping my iPhone like a bad habit. I will find a way of buying a galaxy nexus while I am in Europe. Al this ridiculous patent business in which you cam patent an idea instead of a process is totally ridiculous. Imagine if somebody had patented the if..then...else clause or worse the CONCEPT of a conditional statement. That's what this bogus patents are.
anonymous 4 July, 2012 20:03
I had a Hewlett Packard ipaq long before the iphone was ever invented. It did whole lot of what the first iphone ever did way ahead of Apple. iPhone is a very good but none less natural progression. Sure they had one or two very neat ideas but it is a natural progression. Even down to the name iPaq was around before iphone... It is appalling that an American court is a so partisan and will always come down on the side of an American company, Apple lawyers know this.. America is meant to be the land of the free where anyone who works at it can make money no matter where he comes from. In Europe this sort of blatent market manipulation is called protectionism. There is nothing healthy about it. It is just understandable greed and the court system should kill it at birth. This doesn't happen because all our very well paid lawyers are just becoming as greedy as our greedy overpaid bankers. Unfortunately this is a sign of a sick society. Sad, when Apple products are actually so damn stylish. As others have said why don't they just concentrate all their money and efforts on making them actually work as well as they look then no-one would ever want to buy the competition...